Wolf's Bane
by Caroline L'Amoure
Summary: A Fanfiction of Marjorie M. Liu's Tiger Eye. Trapped for millenia, Seka thought that all she had to look forward to was slavery and abuse. Little did she know that Michael would be her next master, and that her world would change forever.
1. Chapter 1: Tourmaline

_Darkness, all around. In my senses, and in my mind. I remember the past, the abusing, the using. Trapped to a stone, bound to serve. I know our pack lives on, for my brother still lives. I had been so blind. My mind coiled in on itself in anger toward my emotions, which had been the cause of my horrible situation now. I had thought I loved a man, but it had been a false emotion, a mere illusion of what love should be. He hired a sorceress, paying her with pleasure of the flesh, to capture me into this accursed stone. He didn't know, however, that when he finally died, I would still remain in the stone, trapped and bound in a cage of darkness. When someone wears the stone around their neck I am bound to them, unable to help but obey their commands. A horrible existence. I cannot do anything against my owner's will. I have been in this darkness for so long, and when I come out, I will only be set into a new horrible event of existence._

Michael looked at the stone on the counter carefully, wondering if it was actually real or not. It looked like it was a sapphire, but it was far too cheap in price, and far too large to actually be a gem. He looked around the pawn shop curiously, wondering if anyone could tell him about the stone. He picked it up gently, noticing the gouges and scratches in the stone's facets. Something had happened with this stone, which only added to his interest. The shop owner looked over to him and brightened when he saw a potential sale.

"Can I help you?" The owner said with forced cheerfulness. He was an older man, with weary eyes and thinning hair. Michael nodded and held up the gem, which hung on an old leather string. The shop owner's smile vanished, and he nodded solemnly.

"That stone's been here for longer than I have. It's cursed, I say. I've only heard bad things about it."

Michael looked carefully down at the stone and scoffed in disbelief. What superstitious nonsense. A stone couldn't be 'cursed'. It was only people's perception that it was the gem's fault for the unfortunate series of events that happen to the owner.  
"How much is it?" Michael asked, setting the gem on the counter gently.  
"Fifteen bucks." The owner looked at the stone warily, as if it would attack him somehow. Michael looked at him in shock, amazed at his good fortune. He knew it was a real gem, he hadn't gotten a master's degree in geology for nothing, and for such a small price, he was wondering why no one had seen it before now. He quickly took out the money and handed it to the shop owner, and was handed the stone, the owner bringing his hand back from the gem as if it had scalded his palm. Michael started walking out of the store, deep in thought as he looked at the purchase.  
"Be careful lad, I'd hate to sell you your death." The owner called after him, watching with uneasiness as Michael walked out of the shop, the bell at the top of the door ringing in salute as he exited.

He looked toward his car with a bright smile, happy to finally be able to go home. He was done with his annual pawn shop raid, going to pawn shops every week to see if they had anything interesting. He had gotten a lot of good deals that way, along with a few priceless antiques. Some things he sold for a profit on EBay, some he kept for his own pleasure and stuck somewhere in his apartment. He opened the door to the small New York apartment and walked in, breathing in the air of artifacts and minerals, from the many salvaged items littering open spaces around his house. He set the gem down on the counter and went through the drill of checking his answering machine, looking through his mail for urgent bills, and went back to pick the gem up, holding it in front of his face by the string. The stone was a pale blue, almost white at the thin ends, and sky blue toward the thick middle, in the shape of a many faced diamond. He walked to his bookshelf in his bedroom, one of the two rooms connected to the entrance/kitchen/living room. Like the other rooms, this room had basic furniture with rocks, minerals and antiques lining the walls, sitting on whatever available shelf space there was. He picked a book out of the bookcase and looked through it, his eyes widening when he realized what the gem was. It was a massive tourmaline. He stepped back a minute in shock, his back running into the wall behind him. My God, he had paid fifteen dollars for something that was worth thousands… He chuckled in amazement and shook his head. But the leather cord that the gem was hanging on caught his interest. Were people actually expected to wear just the gem by itself? Such a massive and expensive piece of jewelry would be set into something or at least inlaid into metal. It was different seeing the gem just hanging with a hole in it from a leather cord. Maybe it was so old, they didn't know how to inlay a gem in metal yet…

Oh come on, it couldn't be that old. That was thousands of years ago. He looked at a particularly deep gouge on one side of the gem and noticed that it seemed as if the gouge was actually a series of small scratches. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity and took out a magnifying glass, looking at the scratches and gasped in shock. The scratches were writing! Some language he didn't know of, but sure enough, they were writing. He looked at the stone again, as if looking at it for the first time. This was no piece of jewelry. An amulet or a talisman of some sort, probably. He wished with all his heart he knew what the writing meant, and sighed in disbelief. It was amazing that he had found a gem in a pawn shop, none the less a priceless ancient artifact. He looked down at the gem and smiled, wondering how heavy it was if someone put it around their neck. Amulets and Talismans were usually small so they wouldn't attract attention form other people, or else to the convenience of the wearer. He held up the string and put the cord around his neck, immediately getting the sense of foreboding. The lights of his room flickered for a moment, and a long tendril of smoke came from the gem, which was now completely clear. Michael watched, dumbfounded, as the mist condensed and a woman stood in front of him, her head bowed, and her arms straight at her sides. She was about a foot shorter than him, though he was tall compared to most men. She had deep brown hair, and a leather jerkin and pants on. The clothes were splattered with blood, and torn in a few faces to reveal pale skin. Michael looked at her in shock, his jaw dropped. No way. His mind screamed with a thousand arguments against what had just happened. Women did not just _appear_. None the less appear from a stone. He looked at her in amazement, noticing several daggers strapped to her hips on a strong leather belt. Oh dear. She wasn't going to attack him, was she? He didn't like the look of those daggers, with their serrated edges and barbed tips. She looked up at him, steel-blue eyes filled with hatred and fear. She said nothing, but just looked at him as if waiting for him to challenge her.

Michael raised his eyebrows curiously, his amazement seeping into confusion and anger. Why did she hate him so much? She had only just seen him after appearing from mist. His mind still screamed against that, his academic teachings saying that physics didn't work like that, nothing worked like that. Yet here she was. Perhaps she was only an illusion though. His mind blanked out as she bowed to him, falling to one knee on the ground.  
"Good day, master. I am at your service." She said, her voice soft, and without emotion.

"Wait- what?" He looked down at her in horror. She looked up at him, her eyes showing confusion through her hatred.  
"You are my master. You summoned me from the crystal. I will do as you wish. Did you not summon me to kill an enemy of yours?"

"Kill? No, no, I don't want you to kill anyone. Stand up for God's sake." He said, motioning for her to stand up. "Who are you? How did you come from this thing?" He held up the crystal, which still hung around his neck.

"I was trapped in the crystal. How I got there is my own business. You do not want me to kill anyone? Alright then, you've made your wish clear." She said, and untied the leather belt around her waist, the daggers falling to the ground. She stepped toward him, her bare feet gentle on the ground.  
"Wait- no. Don't come any closer." He held out a hand, his mind only guessing at what she was hinting at. Oh god, what had he gotten himself into?! "No, I don't want you to… do _that._ Just tell me who you are. How did you get into this thing? It's impossible."  
"I assure you, it's entirely possible. I have been trapped in the crystal for thousands of years. If you do not want me to pleasure you, and you do not want me to kill anyone, what did you summon me for? What is your command?"  
"I don't want you to do anything. Just, wait a minute. Thousands of years? That's not possible, no one can live for thousands of years unless you're-"  
"Immortal, yes." She interrupted, starting to get impatient. "I am a shape shifter. Command me to do something so that I may go back into the crystal and get this over with." She said, her voice low.

"I don't want you to do anything, alright? You're your own person, do what you want." He said, looking from the crystal, to her. "Are you an illusion or something? There's no way you can fit into this stone."  
"I am no illusion. I am as real as you are."

"Right, how can I be sure?" He raised an eyebrow skeptically. The woman sighed and walked forward again, poking him on the chest.  
"There, see? I'm real. I can touch you, and you can touch me. I am material, as you are. Now what is your wish? I want to get this existence over with." She sighed in exasperation.

Michael looked down at her hand in shock. Yeah, she was real alright. Her hand was solid, and warm. He looked at her, realizing that this was indeed a real person, stuck for thousands of years inside a gem. How he didn't know; how it was possible, he didn't know either. He sure did want to find out though. She interested him, and his curious mind wanted to know everything about her.

"What's your name?" He asked, shocking her.

"My name?" She thought for a minute. "Why would you want to know my name?"  
"Because I want to get to know you. Why are you so against me? I've done nothing to you."  
"Every time I come from that gem, my owner wants me to do something. Don't say 'I won't command you to do something', because that would be a lie. The temptation would be too great."

"I'm not going to." He said, gritting his teeth together in frustration. She was so against him, she wasn't even giving him a chance to try to prove himself otherwise.

"If you want to know my name so badly, command it from me. I will not tell you otherwise." She said, her eyes glinting.  
Michael's anger flared, and he sighed deeply to let himself cool down. What an annoying woman. She was as stubborn as a mule. "I'm not going to command your name from you."  
"It's very simple. All you have to do is say 'I command thee…" And she held out her palm to show that he had to follow it with a command.  
"I'm not saying it. I'm not ordering you around, you're obviously real. That makes you a human, and a human has their own mind to decide what to do. If you're really hoping I'm going to order you to do something, too bad, because I'm not."

She looked at him in shock, and blinked a few times, her eyes darting around the room as if trying to find an answer to why he was acting this way.  
"Why are you doing this?" She asked, her voice gentle as she looked back up at him.  
"Because I'm not cruel. Haven't you met anyone nice before?"  
"No. I can't say I have." She said, and looked down uneasily. She sighed and turned around, wrapping her arms around her. Michael saw through a tear on the back of her shirt, what looked like writing on her back. His mind getting the better of him, he reached forward and spread the tear a little wider, hissing in pity as he saw writing etched into her spine, running along her back. She looked over her shoulder at him, and flushed slightly. Michael realized what he was doing and took a large step backwards, his eyes wide and his cheeks flushed as well. "I'm sorry." He said, still looking at her back. "How did you get those? They're the same writing that's on the crystal."  
"Yes, they were given to me when I was bound to the crystal. Can you not read them?" She looked at him curiously.  
"No, I can't. I don't know that language."  
"Are you sure? It's only Norse runes. Everyone knows them."  
"Not anymore." He shook his head. She looked at him in confusion and glanced around the room for the first time, seeing many strange objects around her.  
"What year is it?"  
"2007." He looked up at her as her face turned horrified.  
"500 years. I've been in there for over 500 years." She said quietly, and looked around her at the different objects in the room again. She looked in particular to the computer, telephone, lights, television and electronics. "You can make light with no candles?" She pointed to the bulb shining above her head.  
"Yeah, we've had that for about 200 years now. Boy, you're behind the times, aren't you?" He smiled.

She looked at him for a minute, her face straight, but a slight smile appeared on her face. "That's what happens when you're stuck in a rock for centuries."

Michael's smile widened. Finally she was showing a little of herself. She didn't seem so bad when you got past the unexplainable hatred. Though being a slave for millennia to the sleaze bags that she was used to, he would probably hate everyone too.

"My name is Seka. Seka of the pack Hourana." she said, looking at him, her eyes softer than before.

He smiled and nodded in satisfaction. "My name is Michael. Michael Sangos."

Seka nodded and smiled again. She walked around the room, running a hand along some of the technology in curiosity.  
"I should teach you about some of these things. But first we need to get you some better clothes." He said, blushing a little as she bent down in her jerkin, her front showing through the top of the baggy shirt. She stood up and nodded, looking down at herself and cringing, seeing her blood splattered clothes.  
"Usually the people I was serving didn't really see me as a person, but as an object in their command. I haven't gotten a new shirt since I was trapped in that thing."

"Well then it's about time you did. Follow me, I'll get you a new shirt. You can wear those pants, and we'll go out shopping for some new clothes."

Michael walked into his bedroom, Seka following him with soft footsteps. It was if she was a predator of some kind, following behind him.  
"You said you were a shape shifter, right?" He looked over his shoulder at her. She nodded, and looked around his room, her eyes widening in wonder when she saw a large geode sitting on the table beside the bookshelf. Michael took out a smaller t-shirt than what he usually wore, and handed it to Seka, who looked at it curiously. She nodded and started taking her top off, making Michael turn around quickly so he wouldn't see anything. She looked at him for a minute in confusion but shrugged and finished taking the jerkin off, putting the t-shirt on. He looked at her to make sure she was done and turned back around, his face still slightly pink.  
"Right then." He cleared his throat. "Later we'll get some clothes for you that actually fit."

Seka nodded softly and looked up at him, starting to wander around the room again. "Everything's so different..." She said, running a slender finger along the frame of Michael's alarm clock, the red numbers blaring up at her.

Michael smiled and nodded. "Did you want anything else? Food, bath, sleep?"  
Her eyes widened when Michael mentioned food, and looked at him eagerly. He laughed and pointed down the hallway. "You can take a bath while I cook the meal."  
Seka nodded and looked down the hall as Michael walked out of the room


	2. Chapter 2: Modern Learning

-1Seka looked at the glistening white room in utter confusion. A strange white bowl sat in one corner, a large tub at one side, and a rectangle with a glass window stood beside it.  
"Michael?" She called out the room, her bare feet cold against the tiles of the floor. Which was the thing to bathe in? Surely not the small bowl, she could hardly fit her head in it. Michael stuck his head in the doorway and smiled in realization, pointing to the rectangle. He walked in and turned knobs on the shower, making water fall from a small spout above. Seka gasped in amazement and put her hand in, shocked when felt that the water was warm. She looked up in surprise when Michael cleared his throat and quickly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him so that only a crack was left open. Seka smiled wryly and shook her head. Never had she met anyone so shy about nudity. She was far more comfortable without clothing than with, but humans usually didn't approve of that. Shape shifters tended to disregard clothing, thinking it a very human trait. She looked down at her hands sadly. She had been wearing clothing constantly since she had lost her ability to change forms. She didn't know how she lost the ability, but somewhere along her journey she had found that no matter how hard she tried, she could not change into her spirit form, that of a large majestic timber wolf. She stepped into the shower and sighed in relief under the soothing warmth. What an amazing time, when you had running hot water, and nothing smelled bad. She finished her shower, scrubbing herself clean and shook herself out, much like a dog, and put her old clothes back on. She wrung her hands through her hair as she followed a strong sweet smell into the kitchen. She saw Michael spooning something from a pot to a bowl and looked up to see her, smiling as he took out a spoon and set it in the bowl, putting the bowl on a small table.

"Careful, it's still pretty hot." He mentioned as he washed the pan out. She sat down on the chair in front of the bowl and looked down at what was in it curiously.

"It's beef stew I cooked the other night, warmed up. Eat up." He said, and sat at the chair across the table from her. She looked down at the food with wide eyes and smiled brightly to Michael in thanks. He gave her beef! She hadn't had beef in nearly 2000 years, and it was her favorite meat. She took a spoonful of beef and ate it hungrily, savoring the taste with content before moving on to the next bite. Michael watched her eat with a smirk. She looked up at him between bites and raised an eyebrow in question, not wanting to stop eating. He chuckled and shook his head.  
"I'm just glad you're enjoying the stew. How long as it been since you had something to eat?"  
Seka stopped eating for a minute, looking up thoughtfully. "Usually my masters didn't feed me because that seemed too human. A lot of them thought I was some sort of devil or spirit for their whim, since I'm immortal I suppose that would be their only guess. I'd say about 1,500 years since my last meal. Even then it was a rabbit I grabbed. The price of immortality is that you can't starve to death." She said, and continued eating.  
Michael stared at her in horror. "They never _fed_ you? What about clothes?"  
"Those are the same clothes I wore when I was trapped into the gem." She said, feeling amazingly at ease talking about her past with him. She knew now that he wouldn't hurt her, but part of her was still saying he would eventually command her, it was only a matter of time.   
Michael shook his head in disgust. "Seka, I hope you know that not all people are like that."  
Seka looked up at him for a minute, freezing in mid-bite. "I almost believe you. My life has been filled with so much strife and pain, I've seen too many people act cruel to still have that belief."  
"Well then I'll just have to try and convince you otherwise." Michael said confidently, looking at her with a challenging smile. Seka snorted, and took the finishing bites of her meal.  
"Ready to get you new clothes, then?" Michael said after she finished, taking her bowl and setting it in the sink for later. Seka nodded and stood. They walked out of the apartment, Seka amazed to find out that there were dozens of doors just like his lining up and down the hallways of the building. He guided her down several flights of stairs to the parking lot, the buildings around the apartment towering around them. They weren't in downtown New York, so the buildings weren't as tall as they would have been otherwise, but they were instead on one of the minor islands near the city. He brought her to his grey Taurus and smiled when she looked at it in confusion. He opened the door to the car and told her to sit, walking around to the driver's seat. He turned the engine on, making her jump in shock and looked around her with fearful eyes.  
"Don't worry, it's like riding in a carriage with no horses." He smiled reassuringly to her. She nodded uneasily, looking around her as the metal hummed and growled all around her, making her think of an angry beast. She looked around her as he backed out of the parking spot and started driving down the streets toward the mall. She watched the world go by, watching with shock to see so many people around now. The car stopped and Seka looked at the towering buildings around her. Michael led her into one of the buildings, and she gasped at the amount of clothing all around her. Never had she seen so much cloth, even when she had been summoned in China! Michael laughed at her shocked expression and waved his hand toward the clothes.  
"Have at it, and don't worry about the prices. I found an artifact a few months ago that'll let me live comfortable for at least a few years." He smiled wryly as Seka nodded and rushed forward, marveling at the colors and feel of the fabrics

She picked out tops and jeans, the tops different shades of browns and blues. They drove back to the hotel with several bags of clothes. Seka smiled brightly to Michael, making him stop for a minute as he opened the door to his apartment. He hadn't seen her smile like that before, but wished he had. It was a look of such happiness and joy that he couldn't help but feel happy himself. He put a hand up to the amulet to make sure it was still there and sure enough, the pale blue crystal still dangled by his chest. They set the bags down on the floor and Michael looked up in surprise as Seka froze in place, turning rigid. Time seemed to slow as she looked to Michael's right, where a dark man waited in the kitchen, pistol ready and aimed at his skull. Seka dove in front of him with a loud snarl of defiance, knocking Michael to the ground. Her body jerked as 6 loud shots rang out, her blue eyes wide as she looked down at him in a confused expression. Michael looked at her in horror and gently moved her off him, facing the assaulter, who had grabbed a large carving knife from the kitchen counter. Michael grabbed his own knife and they circled each other for a minute, testing each other. Michael finally got sick of waiting for the other guy to make a move and threw his knife into the man's shoulder. The man hunched over in pain, and ran for the door but not before sinking his knife into Seka's front as she say shaking from the bullet wounds. Michael yelled in horror and ran over to her, his face blanched when he saw her injuries.

"Michael, close the door." She whispered, her hair falling around her face so that he couldn't see her expression. Michael nodded and closed the door, swearing at himself for letting her get hurt. He heart metal hit the floor and turned around, watching with a mixture of relief and disgust as the other five bullets worked their way back out her skin and fell to the ground with a small 'ping'. He kneeled in front of her and she smiled reassuringly, and looked down at the knife sticking out of her chest.  
"I can't pull this out on my own, you'll have to." She said, looking at him pleadingly, her body starting to sweat from the amount of pain. He nodded and looked at her uneasily for a minute, then put a hand on her stomach gently, and grabbed the handle of the knife, pulling it out with a sickening sucking sound and winced as Seka cried out in pain. He watched the would close before his very eyes, so that not a mark remained.  
"Are you alright?" She asked him, her metal-blue eyes concerned. Michael chocked out a sarcastic laugh and grabbed her by the shoulders.   
"yes, _I'm_ alright, but you- you got stabbed, shot 6 times… I should have protected you better."  
She looked at him in confusion. "Why would you protect me? I can't die."  
Michael shook his head in dismay. "Seka, I just don't like seeing you hurt, whether you're immortal or not." He said, and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair, his mind reeling with the fact that she was okay. He had been so terrified when he saw her get shot, he had never been so scared in his entire life. He smiled as he realized she smelled like a forest after rain, natural, and fresh. He felt her lean into him in her own embrace and smiled, holding her tighter against him protectively. He wouldn't let anything like that happen again. She leaned up and looked at him, her cheeks flushed pink.  
"So what now?"  
"Well…" Michael thought for a minute. "We should probably move to another apartment somewhere else. That way no one will attack us again."  
"Yes… I'm sorry I've caused you so much trouble. Someone must be after you because they know you have my crystal."  
Michael smiled gently and put his hand to her chin, lifting her face gently so that she looked up at him and not the ground.  
"Don't worry. I have my own share of enemies, one more won't be so bad. Besides, it's a small price to pay to travel with you, Seka." he smirked, chucking as she blushed shyly. He stood and looked down at her, grabbing her hand to help her up as well. She looked down at her shirt, now with a new gaping hole in the front of it, revealing most of what lay underneath. Michael blushed crimson and chuckled uneasily.  
"Good thing we got you new clothes. Maybe you should get changed."  
Seka laughed at hi, sending his emotions even higher. She picked up a bag of clothes and walked into his bedroom to change. Michael picked the knife up, washing the blood from it and the counter thoughtfully. He waited for her to come out, eventually turning on the big screen television to the history channel. Seka came out and looked at the screen, seeing a re-make of a scene from medieval Europe during the bubonic plague. She blanched and looked away from the television, closing her eyes in pain. Michael saw her discomfort and turned off the TV, standing and looking at her in apology. She looked up at him, standing in front of him and realized for the first time that he was nearly a foot taller than her. He looked down at her in her new outfit, the slightly snug clothes showing her curves well. He smiled and poked her on the nose playfully.  
"Looking good, Seka." He grinned. Seka squeaked in discomfort at his poke and rubbed her nose, snorting a few times to get rid of the tingling. He laughed and thought with amusement that she had the traits of a dog, from growling to snorting, but he thought it was interesting. Though from what he could tell her social self was crushed, unconfident and uncertain of anything. It only made sense after 3000 years of people using you for God knows what, and the thought of what those men must have put her through made his teeth grind, his temper flaring. Seka looked at him in concern, and he could only guess that his face had shown his anger. He smiled to her reassuringly and she calmed and tilted her head, asking him silently what had been wrong. He let out a long sigh.  
"I was only thinking of how much I'll have to do to gain your complete trust. I want to get to know you better, but from all the past you have, I'm afraid that'll take a lifetime."  
"I already trust you, Michael. You've done nothing to prove otherwise. I suppose I should try to trust you more. I'm just scared of the same events playing again." She said, and say on the couch, him sitting next to her.  
"I would never even think of doing anything to harm you, Seka." He said softly. She nodded, believing him.  
"I know, but there's still part of me that doesn't know how to react to this, you treating me as a woman rather than… a toy."

He nodded and cautiously reached up to run a hand through her hair gently. He noticed now that it was dry, the strands weren't just one shade of brown but many, and even a few grey, though he knew it wasn't because of old age. He wondered if it had anything to do with her other form.  
"First things first, then. I want to know all of you, even your wild side."  
Seka giggled and leaned against his shoulder. "I don't think you're ready for that yet, Michael."  
"Why not?" he looked down at her in concern.  
"Well you see… clothes are very human. You might blush again."  
Michael's eyes widened when he realized what she was saying, and he did indeed blush. Seka laughed and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, her eyes drooping sleepily. Michael smiled warmly to her and picked her up, carrying her into his bedroom and setting her on the bed gently.   
"You sleep here, I'll sleep on the floor."  
"But this is _your_ bed." She protested.  
"You need sleep more than I do. I'll be fine, I promise." He smiled, and walked over to the other side of the bed, grabbing an extra pillow from the closet and taking his shirt off as he laid on the floor, making sure the crystal wasn't damaged as he slept.


	3. Chapter 3: The Pack

-1_Runnging, running. Must escape the flames! The scent of burning flesh filled her snout. The city was ablaze, and she was the only one left alive in the inferno. It happened again, like it always did. Someone used her in every way, just for their gratification. As always. She looked down and saw her paws turning transparent. Oh God, no! She was going back into the darkness. The crushing darkness. She screamed with all her might, struggling against the black void as it tried to take her over, body and soul…_

She woke to worried eyes looking down at her, a warm body pressed closely against her own. The eyes were brown and green, reminding her of the forest.

"Seka, are you okay?" Michael asked her, looking down at her anxiously.   
"Yeah, why?" She asked.

He let out a long sigh and pulled her closer to him in relief. "You were screaming at the top of your lungs. God, don't scare me like that again."

"Why were you scared?" She asked, not understanding. She was immortal, so he shouldn't be scared of someone hurting her, it didn't matter.  
"I'm just scared that all this is an illusion, that it's nothing but a dream. I thought you would disappear." He said, breathing in the addicting scent of her.  
"The only way I'll disappear is if the stone is crushed. My life is connected to it."  
Michael looked down at the stone around his neck, cold against his bare chest. "So you're connected? Is there a way to break the connection?"  
"I doubt it's still possible. I would have to find my brother."  
"But he would be over 3000 years old now, how would you recognize him?"  
"Shape shifter blood calls to each other, I would recognize him that way."  
Michael nodded. "We're going to free you from this crystal. I want you to be free, to be your own person for all of time, no matter what." He leaned back to smile to her. Seka smiled warmly and leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek softly. He smiled in pleasant surprise and reached to her, cradling her face in his hands as he kissed her lips softly. She leaned into him, setting her hands on his chest and kissed him back. They broke the kiss, blood rushing through both their bodies. Michael noticed Seka's eyes were glowing silver.   
"Your eyes are glowing." he said, his voice low and soft as he tried to calm himself down still.

She blinked a few times in surprise. "Really?"  
Michael nodded and traced her cheekbone with his thumb gently. "What does it mean?"  
Seka smiled impishly, her eyes glowing brighter. "It means I can change again."

Michael froze and swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. "Right now?"  
"I don't have to right now, but I _can._ I haven't been able to for centuries." She nuzzled her cheek against his. "Thank you, Michael."  
Michael smiled and bent his head toward her neck, kissing her pulse. She let out a low growl, the wolf in her crying out for more. Her eyes widened when she realized how deep her emotions had gotten for this man. Was it safe to try again? The instincts in her fought with her reasoning. He was her mate, so why was she hesitating? Too early, it was much too early. She kept her emotions under control and saw Michael's eyes showing the same struggle. She smiled warmly, amazed that he would restrain himself for her when others had not. True love. Michael smiled to her, his eyes showing a warmth of emotion that flowed through her like honey, calming her. She should tell him how she got into the gem in the first place.

"Michael, in order to separate me from the crystal, you have to understand how I got in it in the firs place."  
Michael nodded and looked at her seriously, listening.  
"I was young, only 18 years of age. A man found me out in the forest one day and we became friends. He was not much older than me, and at first he treated me well, but as time went on he changed. While I stayed young, he grew old. He wanted me to be with him forever, and began to try and control me. He demanded I stay with him. I wanted to run, and tried to. He had an affair with a sorceress, who trapped me in the stone forever, in exchange for his flesh. The only way to break the curse is to find my pack. He stole me from my family, so I have to go back and see them."  
Michael listened and sighed, shaking his head in dismay. "He never loved you, Seka. Someone who loves you would want to protect you, not control you."  
"I know that now. That love was false, but this is real." She smiled sweetly. Michael smiled back and kissed her softly again.  
"That it is. Where was your pack, then?"

"North, but not too far from here. I'd know where it is if I were there." she whispered.  
"Then we should go find them. We'll leave later today, alright?"  
Seka nodded and smiled, pulling him down and curling next to him in content. Michael smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist, his mind clearing as he breathed in forest and rain. They laid in content for a few minutes, and Michael sat up. "Do you think you'd be able to point out where they are on a map?" He asked, running his hands through her amazingly soft and long hair. He grinned and scratched, making her groan and stretch herself out against him. He laughed and sat up, holding her hand in his. He reached over under his bed and pulled up a world atlas, opening it on the bed in front of them as she sat up as well. She pointed to Michigan's upper peninsula.

"We should move there then, so we can search for your family."  
Seka nodded and ran a finger longingly over where her pack used to be on the map, and hoped with all her heart they were still there. Michael closed the book and stood, walking over to get them both clothes.   
"We'll go before dinner today, and get there late tonight, alright?"  
Seka nodded, her eyes widening at how quick their trip would be. Usually when she walked it would take her weeks to get anywhere.

Michael stayed true to his word. He arranged for a cabin up north, and a moving truck to deliver all their things to the new house. Now all that was left was for them to travel themselves. They traveled by car, which was only a short ride to Michigan, but was slower actually traveling toward the northern part of the state. Michael finally parked in front of the small cabin and walked in to find everything already there in boxes. They unpacked, Seka asking about every artifact as it came out, and telling Michael what it had been like to actually live in that time. They finished and he brought her outside, smiling as he realized the forest smelled just like Seka. She looked up at the night sky and let out a long, loud howl into the night. Michael held her hand in his and decided to experiment, howling just like her, figuring two voices could be heard better than one. Seka smiled to him and heard answering calls, tears shining in her eyes happily. She dragged Michael forward, telling him to come along, and changed into her wolf form, her clothes falling off her as she walked forward, waiting for him to follow. She was no ordinary world, but nearly two times the size of a normal timber wolf. Michael nodded and ran after her, carrying her clothes. After running for a few minutes, a huge black wolf appeared in the clearing in front of them, even bigger than Seka. She yipped happily and tackled the black wolf, both rolling over the ground playfully, then stood again, shaking the leaves from their fur and changing into their human forms. In the black wolf's place stood a large man with black hair and bright blue eyes, his skin pale in the moon light. Michael blushed a little when Seka stood naked as well, but didn't say anything.  
"Rouso! You're still okay!" Seka hugged him, tears running down her cheeks.  
"Seka, sister, where have you been?! We thought you long dead- to hear your howl again, I thought I was hearing things!" He grinned, and looked to Michael with raised eyebrows. "And you brought a human with you?"  
"Rouso, this is Michael, my mate." She walked over to Michael, who grinned and nodded to Rouso in greeting. Rouso leaned toward him and looked him in the eyes and smiled, nodding in approval.  
"Come Seka, we must meet with the rest of the pack. You can tell me what has happened on the way there."  
Seka told her brother of her captivity, and what had happened over the years to her, and how Michael had brought her here to break the curse so she could finally be free. Rouso nodded and looked carefully at the crystal ,which still hung around Michael's neck.  
"I would guess that Magi can get rid of the curse for you. Magi is my second son, and is very gifted in the arcane."  
Seka smiled, shocked at how much time she had lost with her pack that her younger brother would have grown children while she had none. Michael held her hand as they walked toward a broad clearing, filled with nearly a dozen people, in both human and wolf form. Rouso called to a pure white wolf, who bowed and changed into his human form, a young man with white hair and bright yellow eyes.

"This is Magi. Magi, this is your aunt Seka." Rouso smiled wryly, seeing Magi's astonished face. "This is Seka's mate, Michael. They're here to break a curse set upon Seka concerning this crystal." Rouso pointed to the gem around Michael's neck. Magi nodded and looked the gem over and looked at the inscriptions carved into Seka's back.  
"This is a powerful holding curse, and it has a strange twist to it. I can try to break it, but it might not work. We may have to try something desperate."  
Seka looked to Michael uneasily, who nodded reassuringly, tightening his grip on her hand slightly. Seka nodded and magi put one hand on the crystal, the other pointing two fingers against Seka's forehead. He concentrated and murmered, then shook his head.  
"I cannot break it permanently yet, the cost is much too high. I can break it temporarily, but the cost is still very bad."  
"What is it?" Seka said anxiously. She would do anything to get out of the stone's grasp, to lead her own life.  
"You must sacrifice your wolf form. She will live only inside you, until the spell wears off and you must come back to meet me tomorrow night before you are sucked into the gem again."  
"Surely there must be another way!" Rouso said in horror, looking to his sister. Seka shook her head and looked to Michael.  
"I can't live with myself trapped to the gem, never able to do anything of my own decision. This is the only way. I accept the price."

Michael ran a thumb along her cheek affectionately, knowing what this would cost her. She was giving up part of her very being to be with him. It amazed him that she loved him so deeply in such a short amount of time. Magi sighed and put two fingers back against Seka's forehead. She hissed in pain as he changed, and she looked around in shock when he took his hand away.  
"Take it off." She said to Michael.

"But you might vanish into it." He protested, not even wanting to take a change of that happening. Seka shook her head.  
"We have to find out if I'm free or not, Michael."  
He looked at her for a minute and nodded, reaching for the necklace and slowly pulled it off, watching her carefully. He handed the gem to her and she took it in her hands, looking down at it in amazement, then smiled brightly. She was free.  
"Seka, this is only temporary. In order for it to be permanent I must think of the proper spell. It will be much more powerful and at a might higher cost, should you choose to accept it."  
Seka nodded, knowing she would never be able to live a normal life until she escaped this curse forever.

Michael sighed softly. "Is there any chance I can pay the price for her?"  
Magi looked at him in surprise and smiled. "I'm afraid the spell would most likely kill you. Seka however, would scrape by with her life, if not only part of it. Why don't we continue this conversation tomorrow night? The sun is starting to rise."  
Seka nodded and looked to Michael, who nodded in understanding. Back to the cabin for sleep. He led her through the forest and into the cabin, closing the door behind them.  
"It was worth the price." Seka said, dropping the gem to the floor. Michael nodded and held her by the shoulders gently, leaning down to kiss her softly, smiling against her lips.  
"You surprised me when you introduced me as your mate. What does being a mate entitle me to do?"

Seka smiled mischievously and wrapped her arms around his chest, pulling him against her. "It's simple. We stay together, make love every night and eventually make children." She nuzzled his neck. Michael smiled and held her to him tightly. His mind spun with happiness at the thought of spending the rest of his life with Seka.  
"Well then, perhaps we should get started?" He smiled, whispering against her ear. She shivered and let out a low moan from the back of her throat, looking up at him with ice-blue eyes. He moved his hands to her waist and guided her over to the bed, falling into it with her in his arms. She giggled and laid on top of him, looking down at him with a warm smile. She hooked her legs around his hips and moved against him, arching her back in pleasure as she felt his hardness against her. She reached up to him and unbuttoned his shirt, kissing his shoulders and chest, as if unsatiable. Michael let out a deep breath and flipped her over, taking off his shirt and running his hands over the smooth skin of her hips and waist. She gasped and felt a pressure between her legs from his gentle touch, squirming underneath him, seeking relief to the tension in her. He reached down and stroked a finger against her heat, grinning wryly when her body coated his hand with her wetness and she squirmed more underneath him, leaning her head back with a small gasp. He quickly leaned up and kicked the rest of his clothes off. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him against her so that they both shuddered and moaned softly. Michael kissed her neck gently, occasionally nipping at the soft, delicate skin. She whispered his name, his closeness to her driving her insane with anticipation. He leaned up, looking into her eyes as he pushed into her, making her cry out in pleasure and wrap herself around him tighter. He gasped and looked down at her, his eyes warm as he saw the pleasure running over her face; he was changed forever. He started moving inside her, kissing her neck, lips, breasts. She keened loudly and gasped his name out, her body coiling around him in waves of pleasure. He groaned his own release, leaning down and kissing her again, pouring his heart and soul into the kiss. They both fell limp against each other, and Seka let out a long wistful sigh.  
"I've never felt anything like that in my life, Michael." She smiled warmly, stroking his face with her palm. He smiled softly in return and kissed her palm gently.  
"Neither have I, Seka." He took himself out of her, making them both gasp. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. "We should get some sleep, love. Tomorrow is a big day for us both."

Seka smiled and nodded, resting her cheek on his chest as she fell asleep, feeling safe in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4: Freedom

-1"Seka, Michael, please step forward." Magi said, surrounded by the rest of the pack. Seka and Michael walked forward into the firelight, Michael blushing as he thought of everyone watching him walk forward naked. Seka had reassured him that the tribe didn't see nakedness as indecent, but rather clothing as a shameful barrier between people. He was convinced to not wear clothes around the pack anymore so Seka wouldn't be embarrassed, but still…

"Seka, please hand me your prison gem." Magi said, bringing Michael back to the present. Seka walked forward and set the tourmaline into Magi's outstretched hand and stepped back next to Michael. He looked at her uneasy face and held her hand firmly in his, telling her silently that he was there with her to protect her. She smiled to him and stepped forward again.  
"Seka, do you wish to be free forever?" Magi said, holding the stone up, dangling on its leather cord.  
"Yes, I do."  
"Then what will you pay in exchange for you life?"  
Seka froze and looked down uneasily. "Almost anything."  
"There is only one price you can pay for the spell to work, Seka." Magi looked down apprehensively, and looked back up with a hard, emotionless face. "You must pay your life for a free life, Seka."  
"No!" Michael yelled, pulling Seka back to him and holding his arms around her protectively. "There's no fucking way she's paying her life." He hissed angrily. Rouso looked at him in surprise, but smiled.  
"My sentiments exactly." He said, stepping forward as well.  
"It is up to Seka to decide what she will do." Magi looked at her, and held up the gem to remind her what the sacrifice was for."  
"What part of life do you mean, Magi?" She said softly, looking up to him. Michael looked at her in horror, and set a finger under her chin to raise her face to look at him.  
"You can't be serious, Seka. Nothing is worth sacrificing your life. This isn't worth dying."

Seka shook her head, and looked to Magi for the answer. Magi smiled to her, his yellow eyes glinting with amusement. "Your immortality. You must be mortal for the spell to work permanently. Live the rest of the days with your mate. When he dies, you will die as well."  
Michael looked at Magi in surprise. "You mean any time I die, she'll die too?"  
Seka looked at him and smiled wryly. "I wouldn't want to live without you anyway, Michael."  
He looked at her in shock and smiled, nodding. He knew that it was true for him as well. He released her and she stepped forward, holding out her wrists to Magi in acceptance. He sighed and took out a knife, the silver of the blade reflecting off the moonlight. He leaned down and slit Seka's left wrist, making Michael stand rigid, and watch Magi with cold eyes as blood ran down Seka's arm, her eyes closed in pain. Magi wiped some of the blood off her arm and let it drip onto the gem, chanting under his breath. She tensed and held her arm against her chest, looking at him with wide eyes. Magi looked at her in apology and set the gem on a stone in front of him, taking out a hammer set next to it. Michael ran forward with a yell of protest as Magi raised the hammer to the gem and brought it down, smashing the gem into pieces. Seka screamed in pain as a bright light surrounded her, seeping into her skin. She fainted, Michael catching her before she hit the ground. His eyes stung with tears as he looked down at her unmoving body, terrified that the worst had happened. Her scream still ran around in his head as he moved a lock of hair from her face, picking her up from the ground and glaring at Magi, who was staring at her in horror. He looked down at his hands and closed his eyes, walking over to her. Michael held her away from Magi, looking at him accusingly.

"What did you do to her?" Michael said, baring his teeth to the shape shifter. Magi looked down at him, his yellow eyes bright.  
"I took away her immortality. She fainted because now she can feel herself dying."

Michael looked down at her in surprise, and sighed softly. "So she's still alive, then?"  
"Yes, she still breathes."

"Alright. Is the spell done, is she free forever now?"  
"Yes, the spell is done. The gem is gone, she is now absolutely free."  
"Then I'm going." Michael said, and walked back to the cabin with Seka in his arms. He walked into the small building and set her down on the bed, looking down at her nervously, laying next to her and curling his arms around her, waiting for her to wake up.

Seka opened her eyes and looked around the cabin, wondering how she had gotten here. She felt a warm body next to hers and looked over to see Michael sleeping, his arms tight around her. She looked down at her wrist and flinched when she saw a bloody mess. She licked at it silently, trying to clean it as she watched Michael stir in his sleep from her movements. She stopped licking her wound and smiled as he opened his eyes and looked up at her. He remembered what had happened the night before and sat up, running a hand along her cheek.  
"Are you alright?" he asked, looking her over from head to toe and noticed the slightly cleaned wound on her wrist. He stood up and walked back over with a first aid kit, cleaning and bandaging the wound. She looked down at his work and sighed a little. He looked up at her in question and she laughed slightly.  
"I suppose I won't be healing right away anymore, will I?" She smiled uneasily. Michael smiled softly and leaned up to kiss her gently.  
"I suppose not. You're just like me now, so no jumping in the line of bullets anymore, alright? No more risking your life for mine, because now you're just as vulnerable to attacks."  
Seka giggled and nodded, wrapping her arms around him happily. It had been worth the price, she felt no pressure to do as anyone wished anymore. She didn't feel like she had to prove herself because she was a slave to people. She would never have to be ordered around again. She cried in happiness into his shoulder, hardly believing how her life had turned around since she had met him. How had things turned out so well? Just a few weeks ago she had been trapped in a gem looking forward to the rest of her life as a slave and now…

Now she was the mate to a wonderful man and finally free of the curse forever. She was free.

"Seka, are you alright?" Michael smiled warmly and rubbed her back soothingly. Seka looked up at him and smiled through her tears, laughing.  
"Yes, I'm alright. Just… a little too happy all of a sudden." She said, and wiped her eyes of tears. Michael smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek, then her lips. She smiled and kissed him back passionately, ready to live a life full of happiness and love.

The End


End file.
